1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to diet control and nutrition estimation of food. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a system and method for monitoring nutritional value of food and consumer behavior as it relates to consumer's dietary needs, preferences, and/or medical conditions.
2. Description of Related Art
The total economic impact of poor nutrition has proven difficult to quantify as a whole, with estimates ranging from $70.9B up to as much as $474B according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. There is little doubt that the consequences of poor nutrition in our country are severe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2010 55% of deaths in the U.S. are from causes linked to poor nutrition and over two thirds of adults over 20 are overweight or obese. Even more concerning is that childhood obesity has more than doubled and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that nearly 26 million Americans (over 11% of the adult population) have diabetes, and 79 million have pre-diabetes, a precursor to the disease. Over 40 percent of diabetics will develop Chronic Kidney Disease, usually within 10 years. The death rate of patients with diabetic nephropathy is high when compared to the general population, with cardiovascular disease killing more than half. The current ADA statistics illustrate that diabetes is prevalent, getting worse, and has perilous implications. Despite increased awareness and better medical treatments, the rate of obesity and diabetes continues to grow around the globe and is expected to double over the next 25 years.
Many recent research studies have shown clear correlations between poor dieting and health conditions. Poor diets, such as over eating, under eating, and/or consuming poor quality food have direct correlations to certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and the like. For consumers and patients trying to control the quality and habit of consuming food, it is often difficult to identify what kinds of food and eating habits can improve their health condition. It is cumbersome for them to meet their prescribed nutritional requirements or dietary regimen necessary each time they prepare a meal. More importantly, raw ingredients of a meal prior to preparation differ when they are prepared and cooked. Oil, heat, prepping methods and additional cooking ingredients can affect and change the nutritional value of the raw ingredients as they are cooked. Current nutrition information available for ingredients often do not account for the cooking process. Similarly, current available nutrition measuring systems do not account for any additional cooking ingredients that may have been added during the preparation of a meal.
As such, there is a need for an apparatus and method that accounts for additional cooking ingredients and preparation status when measuring the nutritional value of a food item once it is ready to be consumed. In addition, there also is a need for an apparatus and method that enables users to easily interact and follow a daily meal plan which guide them through improving their eating habits. Furthermore, there is a need for an apparatus that can assist with both, pre & post food preparation identification, measurement & analysis.